


Gentle Cycle

by thesetimesreborn



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Ema being a mom, F/M, Family Fluff, Found Family, Hireshipping mentioned in passing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 12:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19273783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesetimesreborn/pseuds/thesetimesreborn
Summary: Ema was not quite sure what she’d find when she wandered into the Zaizen apartment with her spare key that evening. But it was still a little jarring to find SOL Technologies’ new executive director sorting socks.  ||Ema has some unexpected domestic bonding moments with the Zaizen siblings.





	Gentle Cycle

**Author's Note:**

> (Rated Teen to be safe, since there's some implications of sexual stuff.) Mostly just awkward family conversations and fluff. My girlfriend and I discuss Vrains characters doing weird domestic stuff almost constantly, so I'm amazed it's taken this long to turn a joke into a full-blown fic. It started out as goofy but turned more heartfelt than I anticipated...isn't that just how it goes. Enjoy. <3

Ema was not quite sure what she’d find when she wandered into the Zaizen apartment with her spare key that evening. But it was still a little jarring to find SOL Technologies’ new executive director sorting socks.

She had gone between rooms until she found someone , and was surprised to find Akira holed up in a spare bedroom doing laundry of all things. He stood next to the collapsible rack, carefully pulling the damp clothes from their temporary home in the basket so that he could hang them to dry.

“You’re doing laundry? Don’t you have a cleaning robot for that?”

“Hello to you, too, Ema.” Any exasperation at her surprise visits had grown too small to notice. He had just gotten used to her coming and going as she pleased. “And it’s an older model, so I try to give it a break. Besides, I like to do chores sometimes. It makes me feel… useful, like I used to.”

Pulling fifty hour weeks and he still wanted to feel useful. Ema smiled to herself wryly. He never really knew when to quit, huh. But then again, he was not exactly one to push work onto others. Maybe part of him was yearning for the more intimate times when he could afford to spend more time with Aoi: when they lived in a much humbler apartment and there was no extra help to keep their lives going. At least he could find some kind of sentiment in folding t-shirts and dress pants.

Akira grabbed a soft black piece silhouetted against a white shirt, thinking it was another balled-up sock. As he moved to unroll it, it became clear to both of them that it was a bit more lacy and intricate than he realized.

His furrowed brow transformed and his face turned white as a sheet. He gaped at the piece of clothing held between his two trembling hands. What he was holding was definitely a garment. Technically. But it was very small. So small, in fact, that it could only belong to- 

Ema knew she had to act fast. Her hands moved before her brain could catch up.

“ _Thank you_ , I was looking for that!” She proclaimed a little too loudly as she snatched the thong out of his hand. “That’s mine. I knew I left it somewhere.”

Akira looked like he was going through something very disturbing. And given his overprotective streak, Ema didn’t really want to be there when he started to ponder and accept the reality of his sister’s developing sexuality. That would have to wait for another day. 

Still, he was lucid enough to poke holes in her excuse.

“You… put your laundry in with mine? When did you even do that?”

“Oh, you know. Sometimes it beats walking to the laundromat for just one little load. I figured you wouldn’t mind, right, dear?”

The wheels were definitely turning, but Akira seemed to accept that there were questions he didn’t really want to know the answer to. _Guess working for SOL Tech will do that to you_ , Ema mused.

“Well, I really oughtta get going. The night is still young, but I’ve got lots to do. Thanks for having me!” Ema blew a kiss and hustled out the door with a cheerful “Ciao!” as she hastily crammed the clean but damp thong into her miniscule bodysuit pockets.   
As she meandered down the hall toward the front door, she whipped out her phone and drafted a text to Aoi.

_you owe me big time, blue. your bro saw your unmentionables in the laundry but I managed to make it less awkward. can’t imagine that would be a fun conversation to have_

Ema may be having sex with Akira Zaizen on a regular basis, but she could certainly sympathize with Aoi. He’s a man who respects women's autonomy and loves a certain few very fiercely. But Ema still knows how weird it is to have an overbearing older brother asking nosy questions that are none of his business.

She sauntered to the door, about to let herself out when a small squeak alerted her to Aoi’s presence on the couch. Aoi was silent and still, but the phone in her lap and the terror in her eyes revealed exactly how caught up she was. Drawing a little closer, Ema put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, hon. It’s awkward, but now it’s an awkward for another day.”  
Aoi’s saucer-sized gaze dropped from her face to the floor.

Ema paused. She dug the thong out of her pocket and pinched it delicately between her fingers, displaying it as Aoi’s face turned bright red.

“If you want,” Ema proposed carefully, “you can do some laundry at my place next time. I can show you the proper fabric care, too. You don’t want to wear it out with the usual cycle settings.”

Aoi looked on the verge of tears. She swallowed and let out a small but genuine, “Thank you,” unable to meet Ema’s gaze.

Ema caved and sat down next to her, pulling her into a firm one-armed hug. 

“I know it’s scary and new. But I’m in your corner. I can help you with all sorts of stuff that would be weird to ask Akira about. And of course… I can rein him in, too.” Ema pressed a kiss to the top of her head and walked decisively to the door. Her work here was done.

Breathing in the mild but humid air of the summer night, Ema thought about how much more she was willing to give now. How much she wanted to give, ever since this small but remarkably sturdy family had come into her life. She used to be a girl on her own, but something about both Zaizens filled her with a warmth and wholeness that no treasure hunt could compare to.

She climbed onto her motorbike and sighed. _Guess family will do that to you, huh._


End file.
